Blue Iris
by pheonickx
Summary: The world was cruel in the aspect of human nature, and in the course of time itself, its endless trickle never ceased for anyone, much less than an average policeman who was having trouble with a little thing called life...
1. Prelude

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Detective Conan or any of its characters. Though I wish I did!

Just a little plot that's been bothering me for a while concerning my favorite officer in the entire series. What if? *insert evil laughter here*

Probably since it's been a while since I actually wrote fanfiction it's not as good as when I was on a roll a few months(?) ago. Yes, apparently it's something that rusts with time XD. Anyways back to the story...

* * *

The impressive skills of the police gossip networks didn't help much with the rumors flying about a mysterious detective in Tokyo wearing a baseball cap.

Primarily, of a certain missing high school detective of the East and the high detective of the West.

"It has to be Kudo Shinichi!" This was accompanied with a slam of a fist on a desk surface one summer morning.

Of the many protests that followed, the loudest was, "Why is he in hiding then?"

"I heard that he's on the run from a family who he once solved a case for!"

"Really? Where did you hear that?"

Other than the rumors, the police department had a huge case on their hands.

It had started as a newest addition to Nakamori's things to do list besides catching the Kaitou KID, but then was handed down to Division One.

But then another case interrupted them. Serial murders. And not just any serial murders, murders of police officers….

In the course of a few weeks, a total number of fifteen were pronounced dead, unleashing chaos upon the already chaotic police force.

Most were killed with guns from the obvious bullet marks or hit with a blunt object, but there were exceptions…. The exceptions being that the bodies had no fatal wounds and a full body autopsy had revealed nothing.

Of course it was the first thing that the inspector had thought of was to let Satou handle it, but she was already busy with Takagi over the complicated robbery case. And then Shiratori was away on a business trip in Hokkaido for a few months….

So the final decision was this:

"W-What? Me, alone?"

"Well, I'm sure you've learned quite a lot following Satou-kun and Mouri-san around. Of course you won't be alone… Just letting you lead a case of your own for once."

Takagi had no choice but to accept the invitation. It had felt better when Satou had congratulated him on his little achievement, but for him to lead a case was….. Challenging.

"Don't be so upset, there's a first time for everything," Satou reassured.

Takagi sighed. "But I don't think I have the experience of serial murders..."

"You know you can always come to me for help. It's what being a senior by two years is good for."

Takagi would have liked to consult Satou on such matters, but there was no way that he was going to get a perfectly innocent police officer involved, especially police serial murders. Of course not.

So even if his partner was eager to lend a helping hand there was just no way Takagi could bring it upon himself to allow his Satou-san to get mixed up in this particular case.

And because although Satou was very brave, but sometimes that made her reckless.

She was very smart, but sometimes she dove in investigating without another thought.

She was a dedicated member of the police, but sometimes she was too stubborn for her own good.

That, and to Takagi and several others of the police department, Satou Miwako was a _very_ important person.

So that's why Takagi was sighing for the umpteenth time as his new pile of paperwork and case files hit the table surface with a loud thump.

It would have been so much easier if Chiba's neighborhood survey had given them some leads.

Thankfully the criminal was keeping a low profile after the first hectic week of slaying police officers, so no more bodies have been found. All the more reason to close the case quickly while there were still a few casualties….

By the third day however, Takagi's optimism had reached his limit. Professional criminals must have had training because in most cases they left no traces, such as this one for example.

He supposed though, that Satou was probably worse off than he was. It wasn't an easy thing to do catching bad guys in pencil skirts and high heels.

And his brain wasn't functioning very well either.

As gentlemanly as Takagi was, there were those times when he was suffering from Satou-san withdrawal symptoms.

Usually it wasn't that serious since they were partners and all giving Takagi plenty of chances to enjoy Satou presence even with the ever so confident and serious officer look of hers.

Takagi immediately perked up from his pile of papers as the all too familiar blush crept on his cheeks due to the registered presence of his superior a mere three inches away.

Within a second police instincts sent nearly every head within a reasonable distance turned towards the two's direction.

Police officers were very stubborn in their own right, you know.

Nearly every other week, there was a little something on Satou's desk, whether it be chocolate or accessories. These however were usually taken by Yumi who visited Miwako's desk as almost as much as she herself did.

Regardless of whether everyone knew Takagi was officially going out with Satou, the rivals never really ceased. Like right now for example, the fellow officers were burning a hole in the back of his head with their invisible daggers.

If looks could kill, Takagi was sure he would have been dead a thousand times over.

"What are you thinking about with that of a serious expression on your face?"

"What about you Satou-san, you don't seem too happy either…."

"You first," she said as she took a sip of a fresh coffee that Yumi had conveniently placed on her desk a short while ago.

"Um, that last survey didn't bring us any leads. No witnesses, for one thing."

"Same here. I still don't get their motive for stealing, since it looks like they're only targeting certain gems. I don't think we've ever had a mass murder with mass robbery before."

The two exchanged various theories all the while making some progress on their paperwork. "But even then, we still have missing evidence. I mean remember that last time? No fingerprints or anything like that at all and security cameras were disconnected for some reason…."

Takagi gave a thoughtful look up while watching the lady detective.

_Evidence…. That's a little too close to impossible currently…._

Takagi was half relived when both he and Satou were sent out to investigate a homicide somewhere on the third block.

Every few pages or so, Takagi would somehow drift off thinking about the high school detective who was currently in hiding. And their respective cases which was the current reason for this month's never ending stream of paperwork.

_Okay focus Wataru!_

Takagi wrote down the main points: the possible escape routes and the unique structure of this particular building.

"I would have to check the window later…. And there's the back door…. Other than that, Satou-san, I think-"

Takagi stopped halfway and smiled as he heard her voice coming from the other room, obviously talking with the victim's wife. Satou politely listened to the sobbing woman in front of her, uninterrupted even with the loud clack as Takagi entered the room.

"Do you know anyone that could have done this?"

"W-Well, Fujita might have done it because of the debts….."

"Takagi, did you get that?"

"B-But, keiji-san….." Totori began uncertainly, eyeing the retreating back of the young officer.

"Yes?"

"Isn't this kind of work bad for a baby?"

Satou sweatdropped, her face burning in embarrassment while a loud clanging and a thump came from the direction of the staircase. Who knew where some people got their ideas from!

"I-I'm sorry!" came Takagi's reply.

Turning back to the woman, Satou cleared her throat trying to hide that blush that had been an obvious reaction. With all the dignity our officer could muster at the moment, Satou replied, "Thank you for your concern, b-but it's not like that at all…"

"Really? I thought since that advertisement been up for so long that-"Obviously that advertisement referring to the wedding poster. Satou panicked at the woman's words, waving her hands in fervent denial. Miwako could just imagine the horrid lectures that would soon follow, if this person was one of her mother's many "friends." _But thankfully, she doesn't visit that side of town at all…._

The familiar stammering voice broke through the two's conversation.

"S-Satou-san?"

Satou turned to her partner with a half desperate look as she whispered, "A little later…"

Takagi wondered what Satou was trying to say, especially when it was accompanied with such a curious look from the witness.

"He's must be possessive than I thought…." mused Totori-san quietly now observing the confused police officer who was thankfully out of hearing range. Takagi noticed the rare blush coming from his superior and had to wonder just exactly what they were talking about…..

Because of that, for the better half of the hour, Satou could not keep her mind on work. Well she couldn't after that particular discussion…..

She noticed her eyes trailing over to Takagi again who was currently checking the windows for any traces of footprints.

"With his jacket off, of all things…."

The summer heat beat down on the already sweating keiji outside, highlighting his messy dark hair; his clothes clinging a little bit too close for comfort. Three seconds later Miwako registered what she had just said aloud, and answered herself with a mental facepalm.

_I knew Yumi put something in that coffee this morning…._

After several hours of inquiring and investigating later, when his superior had finally determined that it was Fujita who had killed the late Totori-san, he found himself running full force after the escaping said man.

"Well that went nicely," said Satou who was currently dusting off invisible dirt off her hands after slamming Fujita into the ground seconds before.

_If only most of our cases were this easy…. Then maybe I wouldn't be worrying my head off of dreaming nightmares every day…._

Later that evening, after sending Fujita to the interrogation room for paperwork details, Satou came to Takagi in slightly better spirits than the past few days. "S-Satou-san? Did something happen?"

The officer smiled with a professional gleam in her eye. "Apparently during the KID heist the other day, one of Nakamori-keibu's division caught a person who is suspected to be part of the current robbery case."

"Really, _the _Hamada Seijiro?"

"No, but I suppose that a rookie is better than nothing…"

Takagi seemed to think for a moment before pulling out a sheet of paper. "Oh um, which reminds me… Chiba was telling me to give this to you since it was also found at the scene."

"Hmm?" Satou's briefly scanned the paper. Then she blinked several times before narrowing slightly. And that usually meant…..

"This is…. A code."

Takagi took another glance at the paper with Satou was looking over, both their paperwork that they were supposed to be doing forgotten. The sheet of paper looked like a bunch of scribbles save for a partially underlined 'Pandora' at the top of the page.

"Pandora… As in Pandora's Box? It's likely a code name or something."

"That seems to be the case….. I wonder why they call themselves that though…." Takagi said.

"I think….." Satou closed her eyes as if recalling something. "Mm, never mind."

For the better half of the hour, the two scribbled over a copy combining, splitting, grouping, rearranging and whatnot, the characters to no avail. It was a few minutes after the last sigh that had escaped Satou when Takagi got up and brought back a nice cup of well deserved coffee.

"Takagi-kun, any ideas?"

"Um… Well…. We could try flipping them around?"

After the initial look of 'Ohhh' followed by an 'I knew that' a light bulb seemed to have lit up on the young keiji. Takagi flipped the piece of paper so that 'Pandora' was upside down. Now it looked somewhat like a nonsense but readable word.

Satou minded this for a moment. Now that she had her entire attention to the top of the page, it did seem like the underlined part was significant. At a first glance it looked like it had underlines the first syllable 'Pan' but then a closer glance of an officer would prove that only the 'a' was fully underlined.

"Then… if we only change the 'a', then it would become a pen."

Takagi sighed. It actually had led them somewhere. Well, one wouldn't have expected much from a seven letter word, would they?

Satou crossed her arms staring at a clean copy of the code. Takagi looked on with slight curiosity as Satou cut the sheet into strips on each a row of characters. She then grabbed an ordinary pen and wrapped the first strip around, careful not to overlap.

Takagi watched with wonder as the words that were facing outwards began to make some sense. "Seventh month, twelfth day," it read. Satou tried the next one. "Crimson Tear."

By the time that Satou had finished her eyes were full of satisfaction and determination that came from solving something. That particular expression had been missed since the beginning of this rather frustrating case and it never ceased to make his as any other officer's heart skip a few beats.

Megure-keibu congratulated Satou with a proud gleam of a father figure and senior officer combined before calling together Satou's team to discuss plans. Takagi was relieved that at least one of their cases were successful, and although one half of his mind have wished for some leads on his case, the other half was content just by the way his superior had perked up at the discovery.

Satou came back from the meeting with a chattering Yumi on her heels inviting everybody for karaoke.

"Eh? You're not going? I thought you would go for sure since you and Miwako hadn't been together outside of work for a few weeks!"

Takagi chose to ignore the death glares he was getting. Yes, the numbers had decreased but no, there were some that never gave up. "Sorry, Yumi-san…. I'm expecting some important mail today..."

"Is it the one that your mother said she sent?" Satou asked. Takagi replied with a gentle yes. Yumi looked even more disappointed at the refusal than Satou was but that was probably because since most of the others would get them kicked out by the fifth song.

"Oh well then, see you tomorrow then!" Yumi waved a goodbye and began chatting with Miwako about some gossips here and there among other completely unrelated subjects. As the small group left Takagi packed some of the necessary files and left after exchanging farewells.

The box lay on his doorstep when Takagi later arrived. A small note, handwritten judging from the slightly slanted characters, was attached to it. With a smile Takagi brought the box in, and was just about to begin cutting it open when he heard his ringtone sound from the bedroom where he had left it three seconds ago.

_Hmm? I doubt that it's Satou-san….. Wait, don't tell me it's Megure-keibu?_

A few moments later when Takagi's phone wasn't slipping out of his hands like some bar of soap due to his haste, the police officer was slightly puzzled at the voice coming from the other end.

"Since it's getting late and all, I'll just get to the point."

"Who- I mean how-... What do you want?" He vaguely hoped he didn't sound as annoyed as he was feeling.

"Just a being a little informed about what our famous police force in Tokyo is doing. That isn't such a bad idea is it? Not for a little evidence for the serial murder you police are working their tails off for."

"Evidence… for murders?"

He knew just how important evidence for their latest case was. "You heard me right, now don't make it say it again. Do we have a deal?"

The stranger on the other end added, "Oh and of course it's only on if you keep it a secret…."

_Damn._ But the offer was a reasonable one, one information for another. But there was still something awfully strange about this whole thing.

"I'm sure even keiji-san is aware that many lives are staked on this particular case. Fifteen dead within these past weeks isn't a very good number after all."

_Fifteen dead….._

Yes, he remembered all too clearly the first time the when a group of officer had been completely annihilated. He wanted to protect people; he wanted to close this case as soon as possible but…..

_Why did he call me of all people? What does he want?_

_I'm not even sure I can trust him…._ With that being said, how knew what an outsider would do with police information? Likely Satou would say at this point that this was how some serial murders were started. Takagi took a deep breath.

"Sorry I decline," he said with all the confidence he could manage and immediately hung up the phone. Anymore and Takagi thought he would have given into temptation and actually agreed!

Takagi curled up in bed hoping to fall asleep then and there. Police officers needed all the sleep they could get, and for this keiji it was no exception. Well with a small wish that he could have sweet dreams in the process. In his dreams, he wouldn't look like a complete idiot when he proposed and that Miwako, as that was what he had called her in that particular dream, would say yes with that oh-so-perfect smile of hers.

Reality was harsher. Currently he was holding onto the ring for good luck and wondering when the other officers would stop trying to throw him in the interrogation room for what Chiba liked to call "for no reason."

When Takagi had woken up, there was a text message.

"Keiji-san, I'll make sure that you regret your decision. Until you say 'yes' that is."

The silence that followed created an illusion that it was just another summer morning.

* * *

A/N: Whew... That took a long while. Hope you enjoyed and reviews are appreciated! :D

This particular idea came to me when I read a forum regarding some of the DC character's pasts. I mean we've seen other minor character's pasts(Chiba and Shiratori and Satou) but we've never seen Takagi's did we? So what if his past had something to do with the BO? Oh the suspense XD


	2. The Looming Shadow

I OWN DETECTIVE CONAN!

**Disclaimer**: Just kidding, I just wish I did. Well at least just Takagi anyways. Yays, thanks for all the favorites and reviews! :D

* * *

Takagi would have loved to focus on the case file that he was reading, but it wasn't that easy if you had blackmail over you. He almost threw the folder he was holding into his coffee when Satou tapped him on the shoulder that day.

"S-Sorry!"

Satou raised an eyebrow before questioning Takagi who was fidgeting slightly under her gaze. "Takagi-kun."

"Yes?"

"We're partners right?"

Takagi managed to blush lightly before answering. "Yes…"

"Even if we're not handling the same case?"

"Yes…"

"Okay then. Trust me. And this is an order from your senior officer." Satou gave a wink which lightened the mood, but really she meant what she said.

Takagi's eyes widened before softening to a smile that reached his light blue eyes.

Satou turned to walk away, before remembering what she had originally come for. "Oh, aren't you going to greet the newbie? I heard he was transferred from a sub division on the higher up's orders."

"Is that so?" Takagi straightened his tie before joining Satou to the crowd forming in the double doors. "He must be pretty good, if Superintendent Matsumoto acknowledges it. Who is he being assigned to?"

"It's probably Ryo-kun, but that's just the rumors. I'm sure you know not to trust everything you hear though, especially when the gossip network is headed by Yumi." Satou now stood on her tiptoes to see over the crowd, all the managing to get to the front without much effort.

Takagi had less luck. After all, the division was still holding a grudge against him for dating the police headquarters' idol, but somehow he managed to half-shove his way through the crowd, making a point to stand nice and close by his Satou-san. He sneezed a quite a few times, earning a sympathetic look from Chiba.

Yep, there was no doubt that some, or maybe even to the point of most, that the whispers ere about him.

Eventually Megure-keibu entered, quieting the whispers down somewhat. Not all, there were the one or two females, besides Satou who were commenting on the new recruit.

The recruit, himself, well was probably a little older than Takagi, around Satou's age. Well-built, tall with bright green eyes. At first the perfect, tall dark and handsome gentleman type of guy.

The exact kind of guy that would have made Takagi somewhat jealous if he was paired with a certain lady officer. And to his great surprise that was what happened.

"Huh, me sir?" Satou pointed at herself before glancing curiously between Takagi and Megure-keibu. There were quite a few mixed reactions from the crowd.

"It was on the higher up's recommendation," said the inspector although the word 'recommendation' seemed a little too light judging from the inspector's expression. "I'm sure he'll live up to his potential under your.. uh… mentoring, Satou-kun."

There was a pause, between the time this sank into the heads of the present members and the inspector half shouting to get back to work, when most of the officers broke out in heated conversations about this new turn of events.

Apparently the inspector wasn't lying when he said that the new recruit, Kurokage, had a lot of potential. Within a day of starting into the robbery investigation with Satou, and he had already discovered a link between the heists, that the gang targeted large gems, especially diamonds.

"So the rest of the stolen goods, are just a distraction?" Yumi raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"I guess so…."

"Say, but you're in charge of the murder division. I mean, I know it's probably running cold, but still that's no reason why you should just give up and keep tabs on what your fiancé is doing..."

"It's just that…."

Takagi blinked, and flushed a brilliant shade of red. "Sh-she's not my fiancé…"

"Oh really?"

Takagi cleared his throat to cover his embarrassment. "Well, not yet anyways…."

Yumi slammed down a hand on the table causing Takagi to jolt. "Sheez, you guys are so slow! I actually thought you guys did something after you were in la-la land for a week after the hospital incident. Reminds of all the times when I have to try speeding idiots who care about nothing but going to strip clubs and bars!"

Takagi held up his hands as to calm down the frustrated traffic lady. "Well anyways Yumi-san, Megure-keibu is letting us take it a little easy after the last murder evidence turned cold."

"I hope we had Kurokage on our team too," Takagi sighed, as it was literally admitting defeat as on officer, as somehow he lacked the intelligence to solve this particular case.

He also noted that it would be more relieving if Kurokage were on his team. Maybe he wouldn't run into the two of them in the break room talking about the case, or the two of them in the same damned car together.

"Oh ho. Don't tell me our Takagi-kun is jealous?" Yumi teased.

"Y-YUMI-SAN!" Takagi fumed as he excused himself. It was kind of pathetic how Yumi and in some cases Satou was so easily able to read him. Takagi was sure that he face was hot with embarrassment.

_I wonder where Satou-san is? I think she's working herself too hard these days…._

Seriously she did, even though they were much farther ahead than with his own case. She was a strong willed officer more than anything, so it was a natural thing to do. Though, Takagi had to wonder just how the officer managed to stay so energetic with Kogoro murders and robberies all over.

And even if she did have a relatively... No, a surely responsible and intelligent officer, in her team, like Kurokage, as much as Takagi disliked to admit it, Satou was too stubborn to back down.

Speaking of Kurokage, he was still in the reference room. Wait. Takagi backed up a few steps to peer at the open door. Reference room?

Why would a rookie be in there? Usually the reference room was limited to officers an year and older within one division.

"Kurokage-san?"

"Takagi?"

"What are you doing here? You're shift ended thirty minutes ago, and this room is forbidden to officers under a year." Takagi raised an eyebrow. Sure this guy was older than him and all, but still….

"Ah well, Miwako," he began, causing Takagi to flinch at the use, or rather the lack of, honorifics, "said I could stay a little extra. I think she…"

"Back off," Takagi growled lightly. His eyes were a steely blue.

Kurokage smiled. A very different smile that his aloof grin that Takagi had known, causing Takagi to drop his protectiveness tone. Somehow it seemed…. Crazed?

"You can be quite an interesting person, keiji-san, when it comes to the matter of someone dear to you."

"But as a keiji-san, rather a dense person. Officers should put everything on the line for the public good, and yet because of your idiotic conscience, look what happened to the welcome hand that we offered."

Wait a minute He had heard this voice somewhere, not from the mouth of 'Kurokage' but from someone else. Whatever it was, it was probably no good. Takagi really hoped someone was eavesdropping outside.

"You'll regret it keiji-san, that is until you say yes…."

And then suddenly everything snapped into place. Takagi narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "Who are you?"

* * *

**A/N:** Bum bum bum... Another cliffhanger! And sorry, it's a little short ^^;

By the way, Kurokage is a combination of 'kuro' meaning black and 'kage' meaning shadow. Pretty sweet name huh?

Reviews would be loved :D and so would constructive criticisms!


	3. Waiting

Yay thank you for the reviews!:

**Red-and-Gold-Phoenix**-san(Wataru 1/2 and Bond are an awesome medication for my MiWataru withdrawal sympthoms btw *wink wink),

**Lirene**-san(Update XXX! It's really good :D) and

**Setoglompe**r-san(You're Metropolitan Police Oz Story is so good on levels I can't describe xD) I might actually consider posting like a poster thingy for this on my DeviantArt thanks to Phoenix-san's genius idea, if I figure out the plot soon enough... xD

And yes, it was stuck in my folder for a few weeks due to the craziness of school and other busy schedules. And now... On with the story! ;)

* * *

Kurokage, shrugged as if it were as ordinary as asking someone the weather. "Just someone who knows how to get what he wants."

The easy confidence and relish in his voice did little to relieve Takagi of just how mysterious Kurokage's true nature was. So many questions…

"If the thing you want so much is information, why not just get it yourself?"

"Not that I suggest it of course, Kurokage-san," Takagi added.

"Information? Who said that? I just needed to use someone."

Takagi's eyes widened at the statement. This guy had just openly admitted that he was using someone, with no remorse at all.

"Good luck with that." There were no words as he turned around to leave.

"But be sure to remember though. I suggest you better watch it if you don't want my hands to slip at the next stakeout…."

Within three steps Takagi was out of there, the words playing in the back of his mind like a broken record. He glared at the door slammed shut as if to say _Don't you dare come out, bastard. _

And then he sighed. The world was cruel in the aspect of human nature, and in the course of time itself, its endless trickle never ceased for anyone, much less than an average policeman who was having trouble with a little thing called life. No mattere how much he wanted to go back to how it used to be a few days ago, a lifetime ago…

It was still broad daylight and the hum of traffic and the familiar buzz of conversation echoed in the background. And the famliar nagging of a sudden traffic lady commenting how she would be _much_ better off in the summer heat if Miwako actually wore mini-skirts for once mingled in with those other sounds. In short, it seemed like nothing had changed, even though it had, the moment a certain Kurokage stepped foot within the department. That was the truth, and there was no amount of words and lies that could change that fact.

That and the fact that he had no clue as to what Kurokage wanted. For what cause would someone manipulate as professionally as he did?

And then there was his own intuition, the one that was half-shouting that this guy was up to no good. By that he meant the kind of no good at the level that the FBI and CIAs investigated.

_Who knows with the luck I'm having I just might be the next case they could be working on…_

Anyways, certainly not some still-rookie police officer like him. He wasn't a high-ranking superintendent. Heck, he wasn't even an inspector! He was just Takagi Wataru. Nothing more or noting less except now faced with a dilemma that risked everything that he held familiar.

It was either he could still keep the justice that an officer stood for and prevent Kurokage from doing whatever he was doing at the expense of a life, or keep her safe by throwing away just that.

_Simple enough, right?_

_NO really, _replied the other half of his brain, at a best attempt at sarcasm.

The officer would have risked his life, and ten others, in order to save thousands of people. But the other side, the side that had given his heart to a certain person named Satou Miwako, what would he do?

In the comfort of the Metropolitan Police Department, where he had work to keep him distracted, it was easier to pretend that a certain Kurokage didn't exist, but at night when alone, there were some nightmares that never ceased to leave him alone. After waking from a particularly nasty one, drenched in cold sweat, Takagi almost considered calling the inspector to let Satou off from the Crimson Tear raid, which was surprisingly, tomorrow. And just the morning he had actually worked up the nerve to do so, who should corner him in the hallway but Kurokage.

"What are you doing here?" Takagi asked, his tone surprisingly level.

"Nothing," he replied back with equally practiced causality. "Just to tell you that the Superintendent called for your serial murder case to be closed. And Megure transferred you to the robbery team."

He closed his eyes, as all officers did when another case was added to the pile labeled by many as 'unsolved.' With the murders becoming a pile of dead bodies it had become a sort of race to predict the next victims, although from this moment on, that had proven futile.

Takagi turned this over in his head. "And then after that, I suspect that you're going to wait out an answer out of me?"

"Well that would be nice. I almost thought I had to put a bullet through that pretty head of hers," Kurokage said twirling his gun(where did he get that?) idly between the fingers, ignoring the death glare he was getting out of the other man. Takagi was fully aware that the last statement had been said on purpose just to provoke him, yet somehow he couldn't shake off the fleeting suspicion that, in the worst-case scenario, it could have….

No, it _could _have. Takagi chose to leave it at that before turning his attention back to the current situation.

He was walking a tightrope, on the thin line, the hazy gray area. Against everthign that an officer stood for and everything that _he _stood for, which is indeed a more difficult role?

"What do I have to do?" Takagi said in a low voice.

The shadow of his all too familiar crazed smile appeared on his face. "I knew you would ask."

That night, a certain Takagi Wataru, after excusing himself at the end of shift made his way to a dimly lit house that he hadn't known existed after all those years of running around Tokyo.

After looking around, Takagi cautiously entered into a lone corridor that seemed to lead to the darkness.

It was only a mission, and hopefully it would just stay at that, with no loose ends and complications. Takagi took a deep breath and reminded himself it was already too late to turn back. He already had his chance a few hours ago.

And then as if against his will, his legs just mechanically started moving forward into that blackness. After a few minutes of inching forwards cautiously, Takagi came to a bend in the hallway.

Takagi stopped. There were voices, muttering and laughing in low tones. Judging from the footsteps though, it was safe to conclude that only two men were on patrol beyond this point.

He looked at the envelope. Takagi wondered just what was in it that Kurokage had seemed to deem so important that here he of all people were doing it.

It was a fleeting suspicion, but the surrounding atmosphere seemed far too strange for the recipient to be one of Kurokage's other contacts.

He actually considered looking into it many, many times, but that was it. He was almost afraid of the answer.

With that he mind, he stepped out of the shadows of the wall where he had been hiding.

"It sure is loud outside. Maybe the police dropped by or something," commented a voice.

Takagi laughed mentally at the irony. He was an officer, yet just by being here he was anything but that.

"Don't worry, police are no trouble. See, it got quiet again."

"I guess. I doubt it was anyone really. For all we know they could just be fooling around."

That same feeling of numbness made his fingers grasped the doorknob and opened it. Apparently, he had run into some kind lively meeting for people on the government's most wanted list.

"Hey, who's that guy?"

"Well it ain't the girl scouts sellin' cookies." Takagi felt even more nervous at the _calmness_ of the guy who had just said that. Really, an uninvited man just barges into a refuge for known criminals and here they were exchanging words like it was an everyday thing.

The boss of whatever sort sat in the middle in front of a large desk. Summoning as much dignity and confidence as he could at the moment, Takagi slammed down the envelope which had been the entire reason why he was here in the first place with a crash that made the rest of the minions lunge for his shoulders.

Even before the thought of getting the men off his back using whatever tactic available was the thought that he had actually _done _it. Was his loyalty to the force so shallow that he just willingly did something like this on impulse?

Definitely not. The only reason as to why he agreed in the first place was because Satou's life was on stake. And Takagi through all the experiences as an officer investigating murders and suspects, kind of knew that a man like Kurokage wouldn't just stop at that. For some, one murder was just the beginning.

"What's the meaning of this?" shouted the boss, causing Takagi to lose his train of thought. As if to answer that statement, the phone on the desk began to vibrate.

With eyes narrowed in curious suspicion the man picked it up, eyeing the others now restraining Takagi to keep the insults down.

"How was the delivery? It's got a few extra million yen for keeping your mouth shut," came a voice from the speakers that Takagi knew as Kurokage.

The second when the receiver was set down with a sound click, Takagi was sent back, with the previous members nearly waiting on his every word. It was safe to deduce Kurokage held these guys in the palm of his hands, the same way he was.

The department was in an uproar the morning. It had arrived, the raid that would potentially lead the robbery gang being captured. Satou was placed as head officer of her team, including Takagi. Kurokage was exempt from the stakeout for some reason, which Takagi didn't mind at all. But he still couldn't shake off the slight unease that one got from the absence.

A man behind secrets and lies is far more terrifying than someone who straightforwardly took action.

"Takagi, how ocme you keep on looking around the corner like that? Don't tell me you got Megure-keibu mad at you again for breaking your tardy streak?"

"O-Of course not! I wasn't even late for the past week!"

Satou shot him a sideways look that said plainly, "Oh really?" as she turned on the engine.

It felt nostalgic to be here, in this place, keeping a watch on his superior who was holding a gun with expert grip in one corner, and whispering to her that the coast was clear.

The barely audible sound of high heels clacking on the floor and carpet. A pause as they checked again….

Call it policeman's instinct, but Takagi just felt there was something off about the whole thing. Or maybe it was just the aftereffects of the "errand" Kurokage had asked him to do….

Yes, it was probably the latter, as Satou looked as confident as ever with no sign of fazing as she crept up the stairs with as much noise as a muted speaker. If anyone knew pliceman's instincts, it was Satou.

The anxiety in the silence screamed so loudly, that it was more of a shock that the silence had been broken at all rather than the unexpected bang. It was so sudden, like something out of a movie, the unmistakable blast of a gun, far too loud and strange for it to be an officer's and then a rain of them coming like rain.

"It's an ambush! Get out!" shouted Satou to all those in range. Takagi instinctively pushed the female officer out of the corridor, eyes widening as he watched a stray bullet miss her by a few millimeters.

The inspector back at the station was shocked beyond words, and so were the rest of the divisions. Sure it was kind of normal for robbers to be armed, but to be ambushed by them?

Satou suggested at the conference held an hour later the possibility of a spy within the departments who were leaking information out to the gangs out there. Part of Takagi's conscience told him that he himself had something to do with it too, and it was best to be on guard, although somehow another conscience that he didn't even know he had was telling him that there was no way that the inspector or Satou was suspecting him.

"Takagi-kun, are you okay? You sure you didn't get shot in the arm or anything?" asked the female officer after the conference. She was looking him up and down as she said straightened his tie.

"No…. I wasn't the one closest to the room anyways, unlike a certain someone…"

"Don't you use that tone with me. It's not as if I was assigned as head of the team or anything. Oh wait." Satou chose to ignore Takagi's you-got-me face. "In that case, I would say I had every right to put the lives of the other officers in my party above mine," she sighed. "Well you know as well as I, that we are officers."

Satou-san and her stubbornness… "Yes, but I'm sure Megure-keibu wouldn't want you to investigate at the cost of your life…."

"And?" Satou asked looking up with ther unsasid written in her amethyst eyes.

"A-And… I wouldn't want you to either." Takagi blushed at admitting it aloud before daring to meet her sparkling amethyst eyes. It seemed like a lifetime ago, in reality only a few, since he had talked to her like this, as junior and senior, as partners and more without the fear of her being snatched away like that.

There was far more to be said, Satou knew, rather than her partner's concern for her. Like how on some days the young officer had light bags under his eyes, and passed it off as an overload of Mouri-san and Conan-kun and paperwork combined. Or the few times when she had caught him staring at her, a battle of some extent playing behind those glazed over blue eyes of his.

An emotion far too deep and complicated to be described in a series of words. But here she was anyways, trying, as to figuring out what it was that he was keeping from her.

She was his partner, and he was hers, so the least she could do by protecting him, was to trust him. So, when Satou caught Takagi with his famous I-wish-a-hole-in-the-ground-would-just-swallow-me-whole look coming out of Kurokage's office (as he had been promoted to Assistant Inspector earlier that week), she just smiled, as he would have done and always did.

He returned the smile with one of his own charming ones, but he was quiet. And at times like this a million things were running through his mind was a fact she knew well.

"Are you okay?"

Takagi answered with a "Yes, I'm fine…"

And when he says that with a sheepish scratch of his head after a few seconds of silence, Satou should have known that he wasn't fine at all, especially if he was always disappering nowadays.

"Oh ho, Takagi-kun must be pretty good to you, if he's causing you to worry on such a subject…."

Satou would have liked to wipe that sly grin off Yumi's face visible over the coffee rim. They were currently sitting by a little café, easily the most conveneient place officers could go to while on duty due to it's close location to the headquarters.

"It's only because he's too busy lately for me to ask. I don't even get why Kurokage-kun's working him so hard."

There was a pause before Yumi asked, "Not because you didn't wsant to ask him in the first place?" Miwako sometimes wondered how good of an officer Yumi wold be in her departmetns if she was as good asa figuring thngsd like these out.

"Well… yeah." Noramlly Satou woudn't be one to hesitate in cornering down anyone and demand an answer, so it was indeed very strange for her to come to her friend like this.

"I guess you know.. He could be meeting someone," Yumi commented offhandedly, keeping one eye on the other officer for her reaction.

Satou furrowd her brows together and then turned to her friend again.

"Y-You really think so?"

"Of course not! I was just testing you!"

_I knew it._ "YUMI!" Even though Satou was fully annoyed that her friend had managed to trick her, she couldn't deny that small feeling of happiness that her Takagi-kun, was well hers still.

"Anyways, about Takagi… I'm sure it's because he doesn't want to make you more stressed than you already are. Happy now?" Yumi asked, although the answer was quite obvious from the blush of Satou's face.

"Yep!"

That night, a report had come in from the Mouri agency asking if the two suspicious looking people by the apartment building on the next block were police officers on stakeout. The answer being negative, it only took a second for Satou and all other officers present in the room to figure out it was a drug dealer as the robbery gang were far too cautious at the moment to be leisurely parading within reasonable distance of the agencies…

The element of surprise worked well for the team dispatched. Within a few minutes they had already caught the dealer's partner who was under Chiba's care at the moment. There was one more though, and Takagi found it hard to keep up with his enthusiastic partner who was in better spirits after the successful arrest and now moving in for the second. That and the earlier conversation with Yumi did help quite a bit, unknown to Takagi.

"Let's beat it!" Satou cried. She sped up even more, if that was possible and was within a few meters of the criminal. Suddenly, there was a sound between a shout and a gasp as Satou fell to one knee.

"Satou-san?"

"Don't worry about me. It's just a twisted ankle…" Satou was reminded that in all her seriousness, she had overlooked, and tripped over a rather deep crack in the ground.

Takagi looked like he would have facepalmed himself he it wasn't so urgent, for the way she said it sounded like it was a normal thing, which it defiantly wasn't.

"Get the suspect, Takagi!"

His superior shot him a determined officer's look, torn between wanting to tackle down the criminal herself and not making Takagi go ballistic due to her stubbornness.

"Y-Yes ma'm!"

Why hadn't she stopped him back then? A cold feeling that threatened to engulf her senses, like water up to her neck nearly choked Satou as she watched her junior's retreating back disappear. Just a second ago, Satou had told him to go, and now when he was so far away, Satou couldn't help but want to hear his voice again.

But they were on duty, so that was out of question. Satou turned back after a longing glance at the unending alleyway, reassuring, hoping, and just blindly remembering, that Takagi always kept his promises. No doubt he would come back with the criminal.

He would wouldn't he?

* * *

A/N: I think I made Satou a little OOC here... x

I'm sorry it's kind of moving fast, I'm kind of making this up as I go... So constructive criticism and reviews would be(always will) welcome and greatly loved! :3 Yes, just press that little blue button link below please!


	4. Shadowmaker

**Disclaimer:** If I really did own DC, there would be MiWataru fluff all over, and Heiji would get over his (adorable)denseness. But that would have to meant that I would have to be over 20 years old since...

Okay moving on!

THANK YOU FOR THE REVIEWS!

* * *

A rather annoying and worrying thought that had been bothering her for some time resurfaced as she glanced over the empty seat.

Takagi hadn't returned.

Life itself was a double-edged sword, the more you hoped for something, the more it hurt when went wrong.

It was something that she of all people was well aware of, what with being previously cursed and everything. Satou was half-sure it had been whispering in the back of her mind when she had walked over to where a unit had discovered the other drug dealer tied to a telephone pole with a set of handcuffs.

She just hadn't expected it to hurt so much until tears, tears that Takagi would have known how to stop, began pouring down her cheeks and onto the concrete. Megure watched with half-glazed, eyes but quickly regained his composure. Yes, the officer would return, hopefully soon.

He had a vague idea, mostly from personal experience that Satou's reactions tended to be unpredictable, but when he walked into the office the next day he hadn't been expecting this….

In the police headquarters there were only two female officers whose jobs didn't include the coffee errands.

One was Miyamoto Yumi. The male officers had worn themselves out trying to get her to do it, but were no match for her sharp tongue trained over years of heading the police gossip station. Besides there were plenty of other female officers in the traffic department especially, so why Yumi? Most people saw the point in this statement and left the traffic officer alone.

The other one was Satou Miwako, known idol of the police force. In her case, nearly every other male officer within reasonable distance dreamed about that famous idol making the coffee rounds… But that was it! No matter how much one hoped for that, they just couldn't bring it upon themselves to ask. Maybe it would kill their fantasies or something, Megure thought in amusement.

His eyes had nearly widened to twice there size, as he watched Satou place a steaming cup of coffee on his desk. And went on to deliver a few more with a half-seductive(?) smile playing on her lips before taking her seat and tackling the paperwork.

Not that he minded the coffee, but it seemed very strange for Satou to run the coffee errands.

Usually it went by newbies and ranks, meaning it should have been Ryo-kun who should have made the coffee errands with Takagi being... Temporarily absent.

No doubt about it, that Satou was forcing her mind off by keeping herself as busy as possible.

Coffee rounds into the morning, then cases after that, and questioning the drug gang suspect at night.

To forget…. No, to feel numb to that immense sadness of losing someone, the guilt, was the sole reason why she was doing this.

And no matter how much he tried to remind her that Takagi would return, it was hard to make the stubborn officer change her mind. Megure cleared his throat uncomfortably, unable to help but feel that his officer's sadness was partially his fault, him being who sent Takagi there in the first place...

Slowly but surely, her work schedule taking up nearly 24/7 was taking a toll on her to the point where Miwako had to tell her mother that no, she wasn't being sent an entire deskful worth of paperwork every night because she had accidentally picked a fight with one of those idiots who clearly had no idea how hard officers had to work themselves.

And also to the point to where the normally hyper female officer took the news rather quietly that the entire gang was captured, though greeted with such enthusiastic cheering from the members of the division.

It was certainly worth after staking out for about half a week, forty hours of research and decoding another message on top of the normal day-to-day murder cases. Megure had given the heads of the teams a pat on the back and an offer to have a small party in the next day or so.

That was to be after a through search of the entire case all over to make sure they had not missed any details, which seemed to account for the decrease in enthusiasm momentarily.

Megure had found it suspicious that the gang which had successfully evaded the police force for an entire month had been brought up and put behind the bars after just this.

Again this was greeted by looks from other officers with bags under their eyes that clearly argued "_Just?" _only not aloud.

But it was enough a reason for a little mental party in Satou's mind. In fact she had almost thought up a giant cheesecake before Satou noticed that she was just about done, well completely done with her necessary paperwork for the entire week. Probably because Megure-keibu had literally forced her neighboring officers to do most of her remaining work demanding that he didn't need idiot procrastinators within his division.

"Yes that's Nakamori-keibu's job," added Kurokage lightening the mood a little bit. This was greeted by a long 'ooooh' from the onlooking officers. It was a running joke of how the inspector was always outwitted by the elusive Kaitou KID. Although that applied to themselves also.

But then it was only once in a while that the officers were assigned in KID heists anyways.

The relative calmness that had come with that quickly ebbed away into frustration as Satou realized what time it was. Trying to ignore the worried look from passing officers, Satou hurriedly walk down the hall.

Her feet eventually, out of practiced ease, dragged her over to a suspect's cell, in the interrogation part of the headquarters. The one that had been caught from a day ago. She would have liked to question the drug dealer herself, but Megure-keibu had Chiba assigned to that one, in an attempt to let Satou cool off a little bit.

She understood fair enough, but still she would have _personally_ liked to pummel the said criminal for any information. Particualrly after Megue-keibu had quite honestly, yet reluctantly answered her outburst.

_"Satou-kun... It's been more than a week... There might be a chance he might not..." _

The inspector hadn't said anything more, something that Satou was still pondering on whether it was a god thing or not. Then again maybe she hadn't needed to hear it, if she had been strong enough.

Strong enough to live how she had lived before Takagi had somehow managed to color her world with his gentleness.

Or even before that. What if she had gone after the drug dealer herself, instead of helplessly watching that one day?

* * *

"It's no use doing this Omura-san…. We even have eyewitnesses that came to give their testaments yesterday. And all their stories match." Satou shot that suspect that would have made even the most seasoned officer tremble with fear.

Might she add that the man was very stubborn, even with all this evidence that Kurokage's team had worked hard to find over the day?

"Ch, you idiot police think you can just put an innocent man in prison, just because of some oldies' statement. Need I remind you keiji-san, that old man could have just been saying things, just to agree? You know as well as I that old people tend to have a hard time concentrating and an easy time mistaking things."

"Then are you saying that the other four lied?" From the way her fists were clenched white on the desk, Satou was restraining herself from bodily beating up the man in front of her.

"It's been three hours keiji-san, I could go on as long as you can…" Omura leisurely glanced at the clock hanging in the hall. The back of Satou's mind did take into account that it was true, obviously from the darkening sky visible outside.

Her next question, or a retort, Satou forgot which, was drowned in the echoing silence after the dull slam of a door against the wall.

Kurokage was standing there, green eyes calculating and serious. After exchanging looks for the suspect to be silent, Kurokage half-dragged her out of the room.

"This is far beyond the point of just working for justice, Satou. This is killing yourself. How long do you think you can live, continually doing everyone's work as yours? And don't think I'm going to buy that promotion crap."

"Just take it as the promotion crap then." The words were already out of her mouth before she could stop them. Her temper had already been running high due to Omura refusing to be cooperative. She cringed on remembering such language against a superiors, or really anytime in office, was a one-way ticket to a pay cut.

Kurokage had flinched but chose to ignore it, for the time being. It would seem he had more urgent businesses to handle. "More like to forget that your boyfriend still hasn't returned yet you mean."

Satou opened her mouth but was cut off again by Kurokage.

"It's not going to make him come back."

Reality. It hit her like a kick in the guts. Even more than when the fatherly inspector had said it.

"What do you know? You don't know Takagi!" she finally snapped.

Denial, her mind chided. Maybe it was.

"Do you know then?"

Kurokage's tone was anything but gentle.

When had she felt it? A kind of gap between herself and that idiot officer? He had distanced himself, out of something but...

_He didn't tell you did he? _

Silence, except for the light click-clack of shoes hitting the floor followed.

Kurokage could only watch her back with an unreadable expression behind his bangs then walking back to the unoccupied interrogation room with his hands in his pockets.

He took a look at Omura who was giving him a cocky lopsided grin.

"So Omura-san…. Refusing to be cooperative are you?"

"How can I put it into simple terms so that you can understand? I. Am. Innocent. It's not like keiji-san to go out of your way and against orders no doubt to mind one officer." Omura rattled the handcuffs which loosely held his hands together.

Slowly, the serious line commonly seen as a way to communicate the If-you-lie-to-me-I-could-always-increase-your-sentence without words turned into a smirk. Omura flinched at the simple _ease_ in which that happened.

It had always been a specialty of the people within the organization. To have a mask so perfect that it seemed like two different people with one frighteningly similar face.

"I don't know… Authentity? Or maybe I just find it how amusing officers are for matters of the heart?"

Again something unique to the organization. Matters of the heart. Being a member, one was trained to abandon pretty useless thoughts for achieving something of the far greater good.

"Getting cocky now are you?" Low voiced, and confident, cautious, but still barely above a whisper, was how both the person asking and the person answering talked.

"If you're worried, I disabled the CCTVs installed on this floor some time ago," he replied after taking a long drag from his cigarette.

"Oh. Anyways the boss tells me that Takagi-_sama_," he had spat out the honorific with disgust, "hasn't been found yet. Why him I wonder? Why all this trouble? If you ever noticed her partners in every single hospital you've visited-"

"I get it." Kurokage said, raising his hand to cut him off.

"But that's not the point," Omura continued, his arms crossed as best as he could in handcuffs anyway. "I did hear a rather interesting news of how that inspector of yours is conducting another search, because he found a discrepancy in our division's movements."

"You heard?"

"Who hasn't?" Omura retorted back.

"Tell _him_ not to worry though. You know what happens when you step on a snake's tail….."

* * *

**A/N:** Probably the lot of you are going to hate me for putting it in another cliffy AND keeping Takagi out of sight. That's what I had to bear rewriting it for the twentieth time!

Honestly I'm still in the process of actually THINKING it through. :P

You see that button down there? It likes to be clicked. ^^


End file.
